Marion Senior Services loses $78K in sequester

Congregate dining program may close two or three days each month

Dave Lee, a volunteer, center, serves dinner to Louis Walraven, left, and Lena Talbot, right, at Marion Senior Services on Southwest 20th Court in Ocala, Fla. on Wednesday, May 1, 2013. Marion Senior Services will be losing $78,000 in federal funding, $50,000 of which is for the congregate dining program. That translates into 6,000 meals for the rest of the year.

Published: Thursday, May 2, 2013 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at 5:21 p.m.

Air travelers got some good news in recent days. But Sarah Stroh got 78,000 new reasons to worry.

Facts

You can help

Unless it raises $50,000 fast, Marion Senior Services will close congregate dining sites for seniors two or three days each month.

If you wish to donate and help stave off the closures, call officials at 620-3501. Checks can be made out to Marion Senior Services and sent to:

Marion Senior Services

1101 SW 20th Court

Ocala, FL 34471

With congressional help, the Federal Aviation Administration has ended furloughs for air traffic controllers and thus eliminated thousands of flight delays each day.

Stroh, executive director of Marion Senior Services, got no such help. The sequestration cuts that temporarily weighed down air travel are still hurting her agency.

In recent days Stroh learned she will lose $78,000 in federal funding, including $50,000 from the popular congregate dining program for seniors.

Every weekday, at 12 sites countywide, anyone age 60 or older — regardless of income status — can sit down to lunch. Marion Senior Services dishes out 45,000 meals per year.

But that number will be decreased by 6,000 in 2013. And if Stroh can't raise enough private funds to close the $50,000 gap before the end of May, she will shut down the lunch line at each site two or three days each month.

Other programs also are feeling the effects: Stroh has frozen out new clients for services such as caregiver respite, homemaking and Meals on Wheels.

But congregate dining is getting hit hardest, and Stroh regrets it. Many older people look forward to that social time each day.

“It's not just the meal they are getting,” she said.

The sequestration cuts stem from a congressional decision in 2011: Either find a plan to reduce the federal deficit or allow billions in automatic budget cuts to kick in.

No plan was agreed upon, so the “sequestration” era kicked off in early March. Federal agencies cut their budgets and prepared for furloughs.

Air travelers raised a stink when the furlough of air traffic controllers resulted in thousands of delays. Congress quickly responded, giving the FAA added budget flexibility so it could end the furloughs.

Even small towers like the one at Ocala International Airport will be spared any cutbacks.

The federal Justice Department has managed to avoid enacting any furloughs, so local FBI agents, federal prosecutors and deputy marshals will stay on the job.

The federal Public Defender's Office has had a different experience. It has only one attorney in its Ocala office; because of the sequester cuts, it can't afford to add a much-needed second lawyer.

“We were hit extremely hard,” said Donna Elm, the federal public defender for the Middle District of Florida, which includes Marion County.

In fact, all her staffers must take 15 furlough days in the next four to five months.

Elm said her office can only partly reimburse the Ocala attorney for costs incurred when traveling to Orlando to visit clients. Cost controls are so tight the attorney can't even use a government-issued phone.

Nationwide, the federal Head Start and Early Head Start programs, which provide early learning services, are bracing for cuts.

Childhood Development Services administers the programs in a six-county area: Marion, Alachua, Citrus, Levy, Gilchrist and Dixie. That region will suffer a 5.27 percent cut effective July 1.

That amounts to $716,000, officials said.

The coalition has submitted a plan to handle the impending cut, but has not yet received approval. More than 1,300 clients receive services in that six-county area, including 728 in Marion County alone.

Ocala resident Jim Samuelson has an unusual perspective on all the sequester drama. He lived in Washington D.C. for many years and sold office furnishings to federal agencies.

“I saw first-hand the Washington inefficiencies,” he said.

At the federal level, he said, agencies “have lots of ways to cut” without necessarily harming vital services.

Jim Ross can be reached at 671-6412 or jim.ross@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter @jimross96.

<p>Air travelers got some good news in recent days. But Sarah Stroh got 78,000 new reasons to worry.</p><p>With congressional help, the Federal Aviation Administration has ended furloughs for air traffic controllers and thus eliminated thousands of flight delays each day.</p><p>Stroh, executive director of Marion Senior Services, got no such help. The sequestration cuts that temporarily weighed down air travel are still hurting her agency.</p><p>In recent days Stroh learned she will lose $78,000 in federal funding, including $50,000 from the popular congregate dining program for seniors.</p><p>Every weekday, at 12 sites countywide, anyone age 60 or older — regardless of income status — can sit down to lunch. Marion Senior Services dishes out 45,000 meals per year.</p><p>But that number will be decreased by 6,000 in 2013. And if Stroh can't raise enough private funds to close the $50,000 gap before the end of May, she will shut down the lunch line at each site two or three days each month.</p><p>Other programs also are feeling the effects: Stroh has frozen out new clients for services such as caregiver respite, homemaking and Meals on Wheels.</p><p>But congregate dining is getting hit hardest, and Stroh regrets it. Many older people look forward to that social time each day.</p><p>“It's not just the meal they are getting,” she said.</p><p>The sequestration cuts stem from a congressional decision in 2011: Either find a plan to reduce the federal deficit or allow billions in automatic budget cuts to kick in.</p><p>No plan was agreed upon, so the “sequestration” era kicked off in early March. Federal agencies cut their budgets and prepared for furloughs.</p><p>Air travelers raised a stink when the furlough of air traffic controllers resulted in thousands of delays. Congress quickly responded, giving the FAA added budget flexibility so it could end the furloughs.</p><p>Even small towers like the one at Ocala International Airport will be spared any cutbacks.</p><p>The federal Justice Department has managed to avoid enacting any furloughs, so local FBI agents, federal prosecutors and deputy marshals will stay on the job.</p><p>The federal Public Defender's Office has had a different experience. It has only one attorney in its Ocala office; because of the sequester cuts, it can't afford to add a much-needed second lawyer.</p><p>“We were hit extremely hard,” said Donna Elm, the federal public defender for the Middle District of Florida, which includes Marion County.</p><p>In fact, all her staffers must take 15 furlough days in the next four to five months.</p><p>Elm said her office can only partly reimburse the Ocala attorney for costs incurred when traveling to Orlando to visit clients. Cost controls are so tight the attorney can't even use a government-issued phone.</p><p>Nationwide, the federal Head Start and Early Head Start programs, which provide early learning services, are bracing for cuts.</p><p>Childhood Development Services administers the programs in a six-county area: Marion, Alachua, Citrus, Levy, Gilchrist and Dixie. That region will suffer a 5.27 percent cut effective July 1.</p><p>That amounts to $716,000, officials said.</p><p>The coalition has submitted a plan to handle the impending cut, but has not yet received approval. More than 1,300 clients receive services in that six-county area, including 728 in Marion County alone.</p><p>Ocala resident Jim Samuelson has an unusual perspective on all the sequester drama. He lived in Washington D.C. for many years and sold office furnishings to federal agencies.</p><p>“I saw first-hand the Washington inefficiencies,” he said.</p><p>At the federal level, he said, agencies “have lots of ways to cut” without necessarily harming vital services.</p><p>Jim Ross can be reached at 671-6412 or jim.ross@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter @jimross96.</p>